Gladys and Ralph Lazarus Foundation

Private foundation · Grantmaker Boston, MA EIN: 31-6018922

The Gladys and Ralph Lazarus Foundation is a private foundation based in Boston, Massachusetts. Its 2023 filing reports three grants totaling $5,318,238. The foundation’s 2022 return is marked as final, so it appears to have wound down or stopped grantmaking; the available filing data also reports grants in 2023.

Gladys and Ralph Lazarus Foundation at a glance

In short: Gladys and Ralph Lazarus Foundation gave $5.3M across 3 grants in 2023 (avg $1.8M), top state Florida. Source: 2023 IRS Form 990-PF.

Annual giving (2023)
$5,318,238
+1478.1% vs 2022
Grants made (2023)
3
-91.9% vs 2022
Average grant
$1,772,746
+19363.4% vs 2022
Median grant
$1,772,746
Primary geography
Florida (33% of itemized 2023 grant dollars)
Latest 990 filing
Form 990-PF, 2023 View filing

Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2023; updated September 2026.

How to apply to Gladys and Ralph Lazarus Foundation

Accepts unsolicited proposals
No
How to Apply

The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.

Contact

Mailing address: 50 Congress Street - Room 832, Boston, MA 02109-4017

Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.

Who Gladys and Ralph Lazarus Foundation funds

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 3 recipients in 2023

Schwab Charitable: $1.8MSchwab Charitable$1.8MSan Antonio Area Foundation: $1.8MSan Antonio Area Foundation$1.8MDesert Community Foundation: $1.8MDesert Community Foundation$1.8M

The largest 2023 recipient was Schwab Charitable ($1.8M). Together the top 3 received $5.3M.

Grant Size Distribution

71 grants across all recorded years

68<$50K$50–100K$100–250K$250–500K$500K–1M3$1–5M$5M+

The most common grant size was under $50K: 68 grants of 71 (96%).

Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

The three reported 2023 grants went to recipients in Florida, Texas, and California, each representing 33% of grant dollars.

Grant Distribution by State

13states

Share of 2023 grant dollars across all 3 itemized grants.

Cities

New YorkSan AntonioSan FranciscoWashingtonBrooklynHanoverPalm DesertBeverly HillsEast Palo AltoFrederickHagerstownLos AngelesMontezumaMountain ViewPlymouthRedwood CitySanta MonicaStanfordVeniceCincinnati

How Gladys and Ralph Lazarus Foundation gives

  • In 2023 it paid out well above its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method

From the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings. Methodology.

Giving History

Giving Over Time

Total grant dollars and number of grants per year

$0$2M$4M$6M31 grants2021 37 grants2022 3 grants2023

From 2021 to 2023, annual grant giving ranged from $282K (2021) to $5.3M (2023). In 2023 it made 3 grants totaling $5.3M.

Grants by year

Grant recipients and amounts by year

RecipientPurposeAmount
Schwab Charitable Orlando, FLDonor Directed Funds$1,772,746
San Antonio Area Foundation San Antonio, TXDonor Directed Fund$1,772,746
Desert Community Foundation Palm Desert, CADonor Directed Lazarus Fund$1,772,746
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Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

The 2022 filing is marked as the organization’s final return.

Figures from IRS filings, by filing year
Filing yearTotal AssetsRevenueExpensesGrants paidGrantsQualifying DistributionsNet Investment IncomeDistributable Amount
2023—$1,552,547$5,395,329$5,318,2383$5,350,739$1,523,332$172,395
2022$3,851,941$408,960$398,422$337,00037$370,632$376,233$280,639
2021$3,846,920$397,449$313,467$282,00031—$374,161$266,364

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Gladys and Ralph Lazarus Foundation reported a distributable amount of $172K for 2023 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.

Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.

Mission & Focus Areas

No mission statement or general funding priorities are provided. The 2023 grants went to charitable-giving organizations: Desert Community Foundation describes its mission as “to encourage and facilitate charitable giving in our desert communities.” The other listed recipients were Schwab Charitable and San Antonio Area Foundation.

Grantmaking

In 2023, the foundation reported three grants totaling $5,318,238. Each was $1,772,746: $1,772,746 to Schwab Charitable for “donor directed funds,” $1,772,746 to San Antonio Area Foundation for “donor directed fund,” and $1,772,746 to Desert Community Foundation for “donor directed Lazarus fund.”

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

The 2023 filing lists John R Lazarus, James Lazarus, and Kathryn Lazarus Baron as trustees.

Gladys and Ralph Lazarus Foundation's 2023 filing lists 3 officers; none of the 3 officers listed in 2023 report compensation.

Officers on the 2023 filing

  • James Lazarus

    Trustee

    On filings since 2021

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • John R. Lazarus

    Trustee

    On filings since 2021

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Kathryn Lazarus Baron

    Trustee

    On filings since 2021

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2021–2023. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.

Frequently asked questions about Gladys and Ralph Lazarus Foundation

How much does Gladys and Ralph Lazarus Foundation give each year?

Gladys and Ralph Lazarus Foundation gave $5.3M across 3 grants in 2023, according to its 2023 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2022 it gave $337K across 37 grants.

What is Gladys and Ralph Lazarus Foundation's typical grant size?

Gladys and Ralph Lazarus Foundation's median grant in 2023 was $1,772,746, and its average grant was $1,772,746, across 3 grants on its 2023 IRS Form 990-PF.

Where does Gladys and Ralph Lazarus Foundation give grants?

Gladys and Ralph Lazarus Foundation's top state is Florida, with 33% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2023 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were Texas (33%) and California (33%).

Does Gladys and Ralph Lazarus Foundation give general operating support?

Not in 2023: none of the 3 grants with a stated purpose on Gladys and Ralph Lazarus Foundation's 2023 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support.

What does Gladys and Ralph Lazarus Foundation fund?

No mission statement or general funding priorities are provided. The 2023 grants went to charitable-giving organizations: Desert Community Foundation describes its mission as “to encourage and facilitate charitable giving in our desert communities.” See mission & focus areas ↑

How do I apply for a grant from Gladys and Ralph Lazarus Foundation?

The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑

How much is Gladys and Ralph Lazarus Foundation required to give away each year?

Private foundations must generally distribute about 5% of their assets annually. For 2023, Gladys and Ralph Lazarus Foundation reported a distributable amount of $172K on its IRS Form 990-PF — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.

What is Gladys and Ralph Lazarus Foundation's EIN?

Gladys and Ralph Lazarus Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 31-6018922. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2021–2023.

Does Gladys and Ralph Lazarus Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?

No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑

Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.

Data update history

(3)

When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable

  1. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS November 9, 2021)
  2. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS September 2, 2022)
  3. IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2021–2023

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The filing figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0. About GrantGraph Open

Figures come from Gladys and Ralph Lazarus Foundation's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.

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